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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26430865">A Blast from the Future</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesiofalicante/pseuds/khaleesiofalicante'>khaleesiofalicante</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>I just really wanted to give this a shot, M/M, Time Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:49:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26430865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesiofalicante/pseuds/khaleesiofalicante</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Many happy returns, shadowhunter,” Magnus said and fell back into the floor. “I hope you make better choices next time.”</p><p>“Magnus,” Alec said, helplessly standing in the middle of an unfamiliar home, talking to an unfamiliar man. “Do you really want me to go?”</p><p>“I don’t see why you would want to stay,” Magnus mumbled.</p><p>“But…But it’s my birthday,” Alec said helplessly. “I wanted to spe-”</p><p>“Is this what you wanted?” Magnus snapped, raising himself up against the table. “You wanted to see me at my worst?”</p><p>It's a little difficult to ask for a birthday gift when you already have everything you have ever dreamed of. So when Magnus asks Alec what he wants for his birthday, Alec chooses something unusual.</p><p>Long journeys, Birthday gifts, Serious promises and other things.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>323</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Blast from the Future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happiest of birthdays to our consul, archery boy and blue-eyed jewel of my life. </p><p>This one is for you, Alec.</p><p>Happy reading :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alec landed on his feet more gracefully than he expected. He had been worried that his runes wouldn’t work here but it seemed like the surefooted rune worked just fine. Alec was used to travelling by portals more than most shadowhunters. But this was no ordinary portal and nor was it an ordinary journey.</p><p>He looked around and took it all in. He had been to London a couple of times before and had even been the Head of the London Institute for a short while during the cold peace. Somehow the present atmosphere looked both different and similar to modern London.</p><p>The sky still seemed to be mad at everyone and was gloomy and gray. The streets were as busy as ever – even though he saw more top hats than crop tops and more horse carriages than little black taxis. But Alec wasn’t here to write a comparative essay on the modernisation of London. Alec was here for something else.</p><p>Magnus had told him nothing. Literally nothing. He had told Alec to go to London and that was it. He had seemed extremely reluctant about the whole idea and Alec couldn’t blame him.</p><p>Alec would have been spooked if Magnus had wanted to meet his past self too – the one he wasn’t very proud of.</p><p>Except that Magnus <em>had</em> seen his past self. And Magnus had loved him all the same.</p><p>So, it was only fair that Alec got a chance to meet Magnus’ past self too. It was a possibility he had entertained for a long time. Something in the corner of his mind that he had always wanted to come true. Even when it has seemed impossible and unrealistic, Alec had kept wanting because he knew that with Magnus there was no such thing as impossible.</p><p>But now that he was here, in 1878, Alec was suddenly nervous and unsure. </p><p>Had he made the right decision? Should he have asked for a play station as Jace had suggested? Would he be able to handle what he was about to see?</p><p>Well, it didn’t matter because he was already here. The decision had already been made and Alec just needed to act on it.</p><p>Except for the fact that he found himself to be lost again – not emotionally. But quite literally. He didn’t know where Magnus used to live back then. So, he decided to do what any shadowhunter would do if they were lost in a strange, foreign land.</p><p>The walk to the London Institute was easy enough. Alec had been here before and so knew where it was located. The feeling of unease in his stomach immediately disappeared the moment he stepped foot through the institute doors. He suddenly felt safer and calmer – as if he had just gotten home after a long day of demon hunting.</p><p>Institutes made you feel that way – no matter where they were located.</p><p>Alec pulled his quiver and bow tighter against his shoulder and rang the bell.</p><p>A small, lovely girl opened the door. Her face pleasantly pretty despite the scar on her cheek and her stance fiercely intimidating despite the obvious lack of angel blood. She stared at his sweater as if she wanted to take it off and put it to the laundry pile right then and there.</p><p>Alec couldn’t blame her.</p><p>“May I help you, sir?” the girl asked, her voice both meek and fierce at the same time.</p><p>“I’d like to meet the head of the institute, please,” Alec replied.</p><p>The girl gave him a skeptical look and nodded. She asked him to follow her to the drawing room which Alec assumed was what people at this time called the living room. It seemed to rather weird to him that one would call it that since nobody seemed to be drawing in the said room.</p><p>Regardless he waited patiently. Magnus had offered him two hours to ‘explore’ Victorian London. The interior of the institute was definitely different than Alec remembered. Of course, he hadn’t had much time to admire the interior when he was briefly the head of the institute himself. He had been worried about Magnus and his health.</p><p>Not that Alec would have given a damn about the interior even during better circumstances.</p><p>As he tried not to dwell on those painful memories of magnus being sick – which seemed ironic considering what he was doing in London right now – a woman walked toward him.</p><p>She was small, incredibly so, but every step she took said she was nothing but fierce. Alec suddenly missed Clary.</p><p>“Welcome to the London Institute” the woman said in a warm tone. “How may I help you?”</p><p>Alec had of course done his research before traveling to the 19<sup>th</sup> century. But he didn’t need research to know who he was talking to. Charlotte Fairchild had always been an icon he had admired, and he recognized her fierce stature and kind face immediately.</p><p>“It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Fairchild,” Alec held out of his hand, which Charlotte eyed suspiciously. “I have always wanted to meet you.”</p><p>“Me?” she echoed in surprise.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” Alec smiled. “It’s not every day you get to meet your heroes. You are one of the best leaders the clave has ever seen. By the angel, I wish we could take a selfie together.”</p><p>Simon would have called his behavior fangirling, but Alec couldn’t care less.</p><p>“A what?” Charlotte seemed confused. She stared at him for a moment, her sharp eyes trying to figure it out. “Are you a relative of Will? Are you…Are you here for him?”</p><p>He had always thought of Charlotte Fairchild as one of the most formidable and respected leaders of the Clave. But right now, she seemed small and vulnerable. She seemed incredibly young – her spirit too big for her body.</p><p>Alec could understand her fear. He had spent a long time worrying that someday someone would come and take Jace away from him. So he couldn’t blame her for worrying about Will.</p><p>“No, ma’am,” he said quickly as he put his bow and quiver aside. “I am Alec Lightwood – from the New York institute.”</p><p>“Oh,” she said, and let out a small sigh of relief. “I wasn’t aware that there were any Lightwoods in America. What can I do for you?”</p><p>“I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find Magnus Bane.”</p><p>“Magnus Bane?” she raised her brows. “May I ask why?”</p><p>“I need to, um, talk to him about something,” Alec said, which wasn’t entirely a lie.</p><p>Her eyebrows stayed where they were, and Alec sighed. “It’s confidential.”</p><p>“Is he in trouble?” Charlotte asked, her voice a little worried.</p><p>“Not more than usual,” Alec grinned, and she seemed to relax a little. “It’s something personal. He is the only one who can help me. So, if you can lead me to him, I would really appreciate it.”</p><p>She studied him for a moment and nodded tightly.</p><p>“Alright then,” she said as she walked towards a small table and started scribbling on a piece of paper.“If I remember correctly, he is currently living here in London with Camille Belcourt.”</p><p>Alec’s stomach did a lurch at the name. It felt like he had jumped through a thousand portals. But he managed to keep a steady face.</p><p>“I will give you the address, but you must promise not to hurt him in any way,” Charlotte demanded, her eyes staring into his own. “Magnus Bane is an important asset.”</p><p>“Magnus Bane is more than just an asset!” Alec snapped.</p><p>To her credit, Charlotte didn’t flinch. She seemed like she had no hoots to give about men who snapped at her.</p><p>“Of course he is,” she replied calmly. “I only meant that as the head of the institute, I am responsible for the downworlders of London. So I hope you won’t be causing any trouble.”</p><p>“I promise,” Alec said earnestly as possible. “I mean no harm. I would never hurt Magnus.”</p><p>Her eyebrows raised again. As if she wondered how Alec knew Magnus enough to refer to him by his first name.</p><p>“Then I wish you well with your endeavor, Mr. Lightwood,” she nodded curtly at him.</p><p>Alec took the neatly folded piece of paper and thanked her for the assistance. He was about to leave the ‘drawing’ room when he couldn’t help himself.</p><p>“I meant what I said before,” he said hesitantly. “You are one of the best leaders the clave has ever seen.”</p><p>Charlotte looked momentarily perplexed but then sighed. “I am not quite sure about that. I have been running this institute almost by myself. People don’t really approve of a woman running an institute and if I am being completely honest with myself and I…I sometimes feel as if I am out of my depth.”</p><p>Charlotte suddenly put a hand over her mouth, as if she couldn’t believe that she had admitted all of this to a complete stranger.</p><p>Alec took a step forward. “You are capable of great things, Charlotte. I know it’s scary to be the first one to do something. But after the first, comes a second and third and fourth. What you do will inspire so many other women to fight for what they deserve.”</p><p>“That’s awfully kind of you, Mr. Lightwood,” Charlotte replied, not looking totally convinced.</p><p>“You got this,” he grinned at her.</p><p>“I got this,” she repeated the words slowly, testing them out. “You say this because I am a woman?”</p><p>“Yes. But also, because you are a Fairchild,” Alec smiled, thinking of familiar red hair and endless chattering. “If I know anything about Fairchild women, it’s that they are fierce, brave and can withstand almost anything.”</p><p>A terrible racket came from above and Charlotte grinned. “I hope the Fairchild women you know can withstand Herondale men. They are something else.”</p><p>“Trust me, I know,” Alec grinned back.</p><p>He thanked her again and started walking to his destination, whistling offkey. Whoever said that one should never meet their heroes was quite mistaken.</p><p>“Oi, Lightworm!”</p><p>Alec whipped around to see a young boy running towards him, carrying his bow and quiver.</p><p>“Do you always leave your weapons behind?” the boy grinned. “Is that a Lightwood trait or an American trait?”</p><p>Once again, Alec didn’t need a scrapbook to know who he was talking to. The resemblance was quite startling. But for some reason, the boy reminded him more of Jace than he did of himself.</p><p>“It’s a I-just-met-my-hero-so-cut-me-some-slack trait,” Alec grinned and the boy looked unimpressed.</p><p>“Do you think you will be able to find the place on your own?” Will Herondale asked pointing at the piece of paper in Alec’s hand.</p><p>“I can manage,” Alec smiled. “Trust me.”</p><p>“I don’t trust Lightworms,” Will pointed out casually. “You could get lost. London is tricky. Plenty of roads and all that.”</p><p>“We have roads in America too, you know,” Alec grinned now.</p><p>“I don’t trust Americans either,” the boy shrugged.</p><p>“Oh yeah?” he felt his grin get wider. “We’ll see about that in a couple of weeks.”</p><p>And he decided walk away in that moment, leaving the infamous Will Herondale a little confused and very annoyed.</p><p>As he walked towards Camille’s home, Alec felt his steps get slower. He once again asked himself why he wanted this instead of a play station.</p><p><em>Because then Simon would use it as an excuse to come over all the time</em>, he realized and suddenly felt better about his decision to time travel to the 19<sup>th</sup> century.</p><p>Once he got to the destination, his hand hesitated before ringing the bell. He could just walk away and go back home to his family.</p><p>But he knew that he would regret it the moment he gets back to the future. He didn’t know if seeing Magnus in the past would somehow change his impression of him in the future. Most importantly, he didn’t know if it would change Magnus’ feelings towards him in the future. But there was only one way to find out.</p><p>A pale, built, tall man opened the door and stared at him blankly.</p><p>A subjugate, Alec realized instantly. It only made sense considering who lived here. Alec had never believed in god but he silently prayed that Camille wasn’t home right now.</p><p>“I am here for Magnus Bane,” Alec said in a tone that was not to be argued with.</p><p>The subjugate’s eyes slowly moved towards the runes on his neck and palms. He nodded in a slow and lazy fashion and lead Alec once more to one of those drawing rooms.</p><p>“A Nephilim is here to see you, Mr. Bane,” the man announced and left abruptly.</p><p>“What do they want now?” the voice said from the floor and Alec’s heart almost stopped.</p><p>It was his Magnus. There were centuries of memories that separated them, but it was still his Magnus. It took everything in him to not march up to Magnus and kiss him senseless.</p><p>“If you are here for Camille, I am afraid I cannot help you,” the voice said again now, and Alec returned to the present. “She is…Actually, I am not quite sure where she is right now. I am as clueless as you are.”</p><p>Alec had zero fucks to give about Camille’s whereabouts at the moment.</p><p>“Magnus,” he called out, his voice had gone all raspy and soft as it always did when he called out for his husband.</p><p>There was clinking of glasses and a figure emerged from under the table.</p><p>And there it was, the face he loved best in every timeline and every universe.</p><p>But there was something missing, Alec noticed immediately.</p><p><em>Not shiny enough</em>, a petulant voice in his head provided and Alec suddenly wanted to take a picture for Max.</p><p>He was surprised about his urge to take pictures of every damn thing he saw. It was quite concerning.</p><p>“Good god,” Magnus chuckled. “Don’t you look positively sinful for someone with angel blood.”</p><p>And despite all the years of loving and flirting – Alec still blushed.</p><p>“Magnus,” he said again – not knowing what else to say.</p><p>“Do we know each other?” Magnus inquired skeptically, making no attempt to get off the floor.</p><p>“Kind of?” Alec said reluctantly. “We? are…friends.”</p><p>“Trust me, I would remember if my friends had faces like that,” Magnus giggled and chugged his drink.</p><p>Alec moved forward and gently took the glass away from Magnus. “That’s enough for today, okay?”</p><p>Magnus stared at the tender gesture with an open mouth. “Who are you?”</p><p>“I…I am a friend,” Alec stammered helplessly. “I mean, we haven’t met yet but we will and you are g-”</p><p>“Ohh,” Magnus said slowly. “You are from the future.”</p><p>Alec blinked. “You don’t seem too surprised.”</p><p>“Magic has endless possibilities,” Magnus shrugged. “Besides, you relentless Nephilim always play with things you aren’t supposed to play with.”</p><p>Magnus sounded tired – and annoyed. Alec wasn’t used to being at the receiving end of that tone.</p><p>“Give me a moment to sober up,” Magnus said, waving his hands already. “I will try to figure out a way to send you back.”</p><p>“No, no,” Alec interrupted immediately. “Don’t send me back. It wasn’t an accident. I wanted to be here. I travelled here on purpose!!”</p><p>Magnus looked like he had sobered up instantly.</p><p>“You mean this was intentional?” he barked. “Do you have any idea what you are doing? This could have serious consequences. Time travel is not something for you to play with.”</p><p>Alec stared at his fingers. “I know. I just-”</p><p>“It’s not entirely your fault,” Magnus got up and started pacing the floor. “Warlocks need to be responsible with their magic. What kind of ignorant, reckless fool allowed you to time travel? It was Ragnor Fell, wasn’t it? I knew he was dabbling with time magic and now look what he had don-”</p><p>“Um, actually,” Alec interrupted. “It was you.”</p><p>Magnus stopped pacing immediately and blinked.</p><p>“Oh,” he said, trying to collect his composure. “Well, I knew I was the only one smart enough to solve this puzzle. That green bastard could never.”</p><p>Alec tried not to grin.</p><p>“Well then, what can I do for you, shadowhunter?” Magnus asked, seemingly more relaxed now. “Are you lost? Do you need…clothes?”</p><p>Alec stared down at his worn out sweater and old jeans. He had wondered if he should wear something more glamorous for what would be technically his first meeting with Magnus. But then again, Magnus, despite complaining all the time, had never really cared about Alec's fashion sense - or the lack of it.</p><p>“I just wanted to see you,” Alec replied honestly – it was the only way he knew how.</p><p>Magnus stared.</p><p>“Are you telling me that my future self…He allowed you to use time magic, which even I know is something precious and complicated, just so you can come see me in the past?”</p><p>Alec could only nod.</p><p>“Why would he…Why would I do that?” Magnus asked, thoroughly lost.</p><p>“Because I can be persuasive when I want to be,” Alec grinned. “Also it is my birthday. This was your gift for me. You tried to get another kitten but I dodged that bullet.”</p><p>Alec thought that Magnus would laugh at that, but he only seemed alarmed. He picked up the bottle of something off the floor and started drinking it furiously.</p><p>“How wonderful,” he said as he wiped his mouth. “Is my future self some sort of errand boy for the Nephilim? Am I just out there amusing shadowhunters with my magic tricks?”</p><p><em>No, you are the High Warlock of Brooklyn,</em> Alec wanted to say. <em>You are a hero of the Dark War. You are a member of the Downworld Council. You are Magnus freaking Bane. You are my husband.</em></p><p>But maybe Magnus didn’t want to know any of this. Maybe Magnus believed that ignorance is bliss.</p><p>“You are doing great,” Alec said instead. “You are no one’s errand boy, Magnus. You are your own man. You will always be.”</p><p>Magnus looked at him oddly then. As if he recognized Alec all of a sudden.</p><p>“Fine,” Magnus said. “Now that you have seen me, I think you should leave.”</p><p>“Magn-”</p><p>“Many happy returns, shadowhunter,” Magnus said and fell back into the floor. “I hope you make better choices next time.”</p><p>“Magnus,” Alec said, helplessly standing in the middle of an unfamiliar home, talking to an unfamiliar man. “Do you really want me to go?”</p><p>“I don’t see why you would want to stay,” Magnus mumbled.</p><p>“But…But it’s my birthday,” Alec said helplessly. “I wanted to spe-”</p><p>“Is this what you wanted?” Magnus snapped, raising himself up against the table. “You wanted to see me at my worst?”</p><p>“I wanted to see you at your strongest,” Alec snapped back. “And this is not your worst. That was definitely when you got kidnapped by an evil cult and almost got sacrificed or that time when you were dying and slowly turning into a demon.”</p><p>Magnus stared at him incredulously. </p><p>“Uh-oh,” Alec bit his lip. “Spoiler alert?”</p><p>Magnus was quiet then. Alec wasn’t sure if it was because Magnus couldn’t understand him or because Magnus didn’t want to understand him.</p><p>“Magnus,” he called out again. “I wanted to come here because I wanted to be there for you. I know…I know you are not okay right now. I just…I just wanted to-”</p><p>“You wanted to tell me it will get better?” Magnus smiled. It seemed awfully sad.</p><p>“Yes,” Alec hung his head.</p><p>“I am immortal,” Magnus said quietly. “Things always get better after a while. But that doesn’t erase the pain I am feeling right now.”</p><p>Alec’s body moved of his own accord and found itself kneeling in front of Magnus. “Tell me what I can do. Tell me what I can do to make it better.”</p><p>Magnus only looked at him with wide eyes and shook his head.</p><p>Alec had thought that coming back here would make Magnus feel better. He had thought over and over again to what to say and how to make things better for Magnus. But now that he was here, right opposite Magnus, he was at a loss for words.</p><p>He felt as helpless as Magnus did.</p><p>“Why the past?” Magnus asked suddenly. “If time travel is a possibility, then wouldn’t you rather see your own future?”</p><p>Alec smiled at that.</p><p>“I don’t have to worry about my future. I used to spend a lot of time doing that. I even thought that I might not have one – a future, you know. But then…But then things changed. I haven’t worried about my future in a very long time.”</p><p>Magnus smiled, that sad smile that felt like one of his arrows piercing through his heart.</p><p>“I wish I could say the same about mine,” Magnus said quietly, looking at the floor.</p><p>“Alright you know what?” Alec announced and got comfortable on the floor. “You can ask me any three questions you want to know about your future, and I will answer. I promise.”</p><p>Magnus looked skeptical but at the same time a little pleased. He had always been a curious soul who looked for knowledge so there was no chance he was going to pass on this.</p><p>“If you say so,” Magnus clapped his hands together seriously. “Firstly, and most importantly, is there an apocalypse in the future?”</p><p>“A what?” Alec blinked.</p><p>“An apocalypse,” Magnus repeated. “The kind where you have to stay at home and make do with your resources.”</p><p>“Um, no?”</p><p>“Oh,” Magnus said.</p><p>“Why would you ask that?” Alec raised a brow.</p><p>“Well, why else would you be wearing such battered clothes?” Magnus pointed at Alec’s attire. “Surely there must be some sort of biblical apocalypse happening in the future if one has no time to be choosing decent clothing before travelling back to the past.”</p><p>“Haha,” Alec pouted. “Very funny. Next question.”</p><p>Magnus picked at his robe nervously. </p><p>“Is Ragnor…Is he well?”</p><p>Alec’s heart leaped a little.</p><p><em>There you are,</em> it said. <em>There is my Magnus.</em></p><p>“He is alright,” Alec smiled. “And don’t worry I won’t tell him anything.”</p><p>Magnus nodded in gratitude.</p><p>“Okay final question,” Alec prompted.</p><p>It was a weird situation – both of them sitting on the floor next to the fireplace and trading secrets, at Camille Belcourt’s house no less.</p><p>But Alec had never felt out of place when he was by Magnus’s side. He was glad to know that feeling hadn’t changed despite the centuries between them.</p><p>“Has anyone invented an alternative for corsets yet?” Magnus questioned. “Because I tried it on once and I must say it wasn’t fu-”</p><p>“Magnus,” Alec interrupted gently. “Are you asking these ridiculous questions because you don’t want to know about your own future?”</p><p>Magnus was quiet.</p><p>“You don’t have to know anything if you don’t want to,” Alec told him. “You have the right to be oblivious. I won’t tell you anything. I promise.”</p><p>And suddenly Alec realized what a horrible idea this had been. It was absolutely selfish and senseless of him to materialize into Magnus’ past in order to offer him…Hope? Peace? Strength?</p><p>Alec wasn’t sure himself.</p><p>“I think I should go,” Alec got up hastily. “You…The future you said I have two hours. I still have some time. I can go to the park or something. I’ll just-”</p><p>Magnus yanked him back into the floor by his arm. “Stay.”</p><p>Alec settled down again – quietly and hesitantly.</p><p>“I was only worried…” Magnus hesitated. “I was worried that you would lie to me. If you do, then I would hold on to something that perhaps might never happen. I don’t want that.”</p><p>“I won’t,” Alec whispered. “I won’t lie to you.”</p><p>Magnus looked up, his flickering gold-green eyes staring at Alec’s steady blue ones.</p><p>“Then tell me,” Magnus whispered. “In this future you speak of, am I-?”</p><p>Alive? Married? Dead? Good? Famous?</p><p>There were so many things he could ask.</p><p>Magnus seemed to hesitate, but Alec didn’t want to. He reached out and took Magnus’ hand.</p><p>“Am I happy?”</p><p>This he knew. He knew the answer to this question as he knew his own name – without a shred of doubt.</p><p>“Yes,” Alec smiled. “You are very happy.”</p><p>Magnus didn’t seem convinced.</p><p>“I mean, you aren’t happy all the time. No one is, right?” Alec shrugged. “Sometimes you feel sad because you miss people from your past. Sometimes you feel tired because shadow world politics can be exhausting. Sometimes you feel angry because Jace borrows your jackets without asking you.”</p><p>“This Jace person sounds like a disrespectful moron,” Magnus pointed out.</p><p>“I can’t wait for you to meet him,” Alec smiled. “I can’t wait for you to meet all of them. I can’t wait for you to meet Max and Rafe!”</p><p>“Who are they?” Magnus asked.</p><p>“I don’t think I am allowed to tell you that,” Alec bit his lip. “Time science stuff.”</p><p>Magnus pouted but nodded reluctantly.</p><p>“I can’t tell you when all of this will happen,” Alec said. “Or how or why or where. But I promise you it will happen. I promise you there is a future where you are happy.”</p><p>Magnus smiled then and Alec realized that it was that smile that he had missed the first time he saw Magnus in this timeline. Magnus without a smile was beautiful and disarming as always. But Magnus with a smile…</p><p>It was the kind of thing that made men go to war.</p><p>“Why did you do it?” Magnus asked suddenly. “If I am capable of this kind of magic and there must be little I cannot do. If I was willing to do this for you, then I wouldn’t have said no to much. You could have asked for anything. Why this?”</p><p>And Alec realized why he was here.</p><p>“I wanted to ask you something,” Alec whispered and took Magnus’ face in his hands.</p><p>He heard Magnus’ breath hitch.</p><p>“Fight,” he whispered. “Fight for you. Fight for me. Fight for us.”</p><p>Magnus stared; his pupils blown wide. Then his eyes travelled down to Alec’s neck. Magnus’ face peaked in curiosity and his fingers traced a slow pattern on his neck. Alec shuddered in response.</p><p>“What is this substance?” Magnus asked curiously, pointing his finger.</p><p>Alec looked at the finger and barked out a laugh.</p><p>“That’s glitter. It sparkles like crazy and is a pain to get off the skin,” Alec chuckled. “Ou- I mean, my son is obsessed with it.”</p><p>Before he felt Magnus pull away, he heard Magnus’ breath hitch once more.</p><p>“It’s beautiful,” Magnus smiled, or tried to. “Your son has good taste.”</p><p>“He learns from the best,” Alec grinned.</p><p>“I think you should go,” Magnus said suddenly. “I am most grateful for your…visit and everything you shared. I know I am strong enough to get through this. I know this…sadness and helplessness will not last long. But my future I-”</p><p>“Your future is going to be amazing,” Alec said desperately. “You are going to be happier and safer and be-”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter,” Magnus said. “Sometimes no matter how much you change, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter until the world changes with you too. It doesn’t matter how happy I am or powerful I become in the future. As long as downworlders are treated with disrespect and prejudice and as long as I am not free to love as I choose…None of it matters.”</p><p>“Hey,” Alec said softly, taking Magnus’ hand once more. Magnus noticed the ring on his finger and frowned. “It’s all going to be okay. I promise.”</p><p>“And why should I believe that?” Magnus asked. “Because you are a man from the future who knows everything?”</p><p>“I don’t know everything, Magnus,” Alec sighed. “But I do know one thing.”</p><p>He curled his fingers around Magnus’s and brought it close to his heart.</p><p>“I know there is someone out there,” Alec whispered. “There is someone in your future who loves you so much that he will change the world for you.”</p><p>Magnus’ eyes desperately searched for something then.</p><p>“And why would he do that for me?”</p><p>“Because you change the world for him too,” Alec smiled. “You change everything for him.”</p><p>Magnus was going to ask something when a loud, familiar noise erupted in the next room. They both ran over there to find a shimmering portal and Alec realised it was time to go home.</p><p>“That’s from the future too?” Magnus asked, his mouth open.</p><p>“Yep,” Alec grinned. “You’ll figure it out.”</p><p>“You sound American,” Magnus pointed out in desperation. “Maybe…Maybe I should move there.”</p><p>“No,” Alec smiled and gently let go of Magnus’ grip on his hand. “Stay here. You might end up making some good friends.”</p><p>“When will I see you again?” Magnus shouted over the sound of the portal as Alec moved closer towards it.</p><p>“I can’t tell you that,” Alec said apologetically. “But I promise we will meet in the future.”</p><p>Magnus pouted and Alec wanted to stay back and stare at it for another couple of hours.</p><p>“Stay unbroken for me, Magnus Bane,” Alec said and tried to step into the portal.</p><p>“WAIT!” Magnus screamed and lurched forward. “At least tell me your name. Who are you?”</p><p>Alec smiled and laid a soft kiss on Magnus’ lips.</p><p>“My name is Alec,” he said as he stepped into the portal. “Alexander Lightwood-Bane.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is what I wrote after a four month writing hiatus. I hope it was okay!!!</p><p>Find me on tumblr @khaleesiofalicante</p><p>Fun fact: In order for a person to become a black cab driver in London, they must complete a rigorous test called ‘The Knowledge’, which involves memorising every single street in the capital. Cab drivers can spend years trying to learn it all.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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